Rip Tide (bnha Surf AU)
by EmersFanFic
Summary: Bakusquad enters a local surf competition and feelings get messy along the way. Kiribaku/Bakushima fic in which they're all shirtless and gorgoues and Bakugou is too gay for his own good.


The summers are always too hot. Hot and humid, hot and sticky, hot and there's no escape once you leave the AC. If it weren't for the constant breezes emanating off of the beach's shoreline, everyone in the city would be walking fries. The concrete burns beneath any shoe worn and skin bakes once under the scorching heat. On days like this, Katsuki finds going to the water helps but rarely gets to it simply because so did everyone else.

The tide is more forgiving in the morning and afternoon for him when it comes to surfing. Not only is he able to avoid the crowds of tourists, he can also get a decent swim in before having to go to the Marina for work.

In the mornings, Katsuki normally gets a text message around 6am from Krishima asking if he wants to head over and catch some waves. It's been this way since high school, at least ever since the redhead found out he'd been surfing just as long as he had. Groggily, he'll respond with either an incoherent mess of letters or a simple "sure". He's not a morning person, but shit-for-brains sure was when it came to surfing.

From what's Katsuki's learned, he is constantly on the water. More so than him, and that's quite a bit considering he goes out whenever available between work and hanging out with his dumbass friends. Kirishima makes sure to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch some slow waves, then leaves once the crowds start to scuffling around the afternoon. Later at night, just when the sunset begins to ripple across the water and the waves start to die down, not entirely, he'll grab his surfboard and swim until it grows too dark. The waves then are still tall and stocked with power, crashing down onto the shore with loud gushes of wind. Katsuki finds he enjoys surfing at this time of day more so than in the morning. Not because the sunset looks beautiful against the warm hue of his friends skin, not because the red is just as vibrantly blinding as a certain mop of hair, not because of that time of day, the piercing red eyes that smile back at him are the embodiment of the sunset behind them. No, it's because he's available. He's available to ditch life responsibilities and float across the tinted waters with ease and relax the aching muscles on his body.

His phone buzzes after walking out of work, arms growing weary from lifting and maneuvering loads of extraneous equipment. He prods at the tough skin on his bicep, feeling the small indents from the scar left there. The Marina isn't a crazy job, but it gives him enough money to afford a small apartment and food. And, it was located directly in between his house and the sea. Sore arms aren't too bad if he really squints at the pros of his situation.

_Kirishima: I'm heading out now if you want to meet up- the squad's w me_

Of course everyone else would be there. It wasn't too often that they were able to come together, as of late. Ever since graduating high school, it's been a struggle of living against the struggle of hanging out and keeping relationships alive. It's easier for Katsuki to be with Kirishima and Ashido than it is Sero and Denki simply because the two live and work closer.

Katsuki makes way to his old, run down Jeep that he's used for the past ten years and drives home to pick up his surfboard. They all surfed, it was a known. Him, Kirishima, and Ashido have been since childhood, Sero and Kaminari starting roughly in their teens, but they like to act as if they hadn't.

He strips out of his clothes and into black swim trunks, grabbing his keys, wallet and surfboard before locking up his front door and hauling the board into the bed. It's a normal white on the top, but below was a messy splay of oranges, yellows and blacks; reminiscent of explosions upon the bottom of his board. He personally painted it himself back in high school when there wasn't enough money to professionally have it coated, but the paint and sealant have held well over the years and he's grown fond of the design. He doesn't take shit from Kaminari about how "tacky yet sweet" it is that he still has his cringy old design on the board.

Today is just as hot as yesterday, and the day before that, but the increasing breeze drifting onto his glistening skin walking to the beach has him closing his eyes. The sand is warm to the touch, and as his toes sink into the beads they grow cold from the shade. This feeling is one of the few reasons he keeps living in this tourist trap; that and one other.

His board is propped beneath his arm as he walks to their usual meeting spot. It's only five, so the sun has a few hours before setting. Many tourists are still perched on the shore, tanning, splashing in the water, etc. It's disgusting how many of them show up this time of year; leaving their disgusting ass trash all over his beach, having their disgusting ass families crowd his favorite local restaurants. Sure it was warm all year round, but summer was his favorite season and Katsuki didn't make exceptions for noisy visitors.

"Hey! It's Bakubro!" The nickname causes his ears to twitch. He spots the four standing amongst one another, boards perched into the sand around them. Kaminari raises his hand after calling out, and the others turn their gaze toward him.

Katsuki digs the bottom of his board into the soft sand once he's joined them, and is immediately tackled into a hug by Ashido, pink enveloping his sight. To this date, he has yet to see the girl give up that hair color.

"Get the fuck off me." He grunts, no malice in his words as he pats her back with a free hand.

"I haven't seen you in two weeks, suck it up." She laughs, squeezing his shoulders before hopping off and giving space. She was wearing the same wetsuit she always did; white with grey accents, holding pink and purple patterns along the sides of her frame. The suit cuts off mid thigh, but the sleeves make their way down her arms and her thin wrists. It's a wonder how Ashido's been able to fit into the swimwear the past years. "Tapping out, your turn Sero." She chides and Katsuki watches as the tall lanky man steps forward and cautiously taps his fist along his bicep.

"I'll pass on the hug, I kinda wanna survive for championships." Sero chuckles but is cut short by the panicked looks Kirishima and Ashido give him. He's quickly slapped in the head by Kaminari.

"Dude! What the hell we haven't even told him yet why couldn't you just keep shut!" He whines, jutting out his bottom lip in a pout. Katsuki frowns, confused. What championships?

"What the fuck are you guys squirming about?" He aks, crossing his arms over his bare chest. Kirishima walks between their friends and wraps an arm over Katsuki's shoulder in a warm gesture he's grown fond of over the years. The guy has no personal space, no matter how hard he's complained.

"So remember last summer when our city threw a surfing competition in order to raise money towards ocean conservation? Many other local beaches in the district came up to compete as well," Kirishima begins , tilting his head to glance at him through wet hair framing his face. Katsuki mentally rolls his eyes. The dork couldn't even manage to wait a few minutes to get in the water. He can feel excess drops of roll off Kirishima's arm and onto his nape. He suppresses the urge to shiver from the contact.

"Yeah, and it was a nightmare. There was practically no room to do anything." He interjects.

"Well, Kami found a poster advertising this upcoming competition and thought maybe we should sign up!" Kirishima's smile is bright, and Katsuki rips himself out from under the arm to register what was just told to him.

"Wait- you want to _join_ the competition? As in go against other surfers for a chance to win what may be some lame ass medal and cash?"

Ashido chips in this time, balling her hands into fists enthusiastically, "Yes! And it's all individual scoring, so no one can get in your way of victory."

"There are district teams though? As in people will be identified from the beach they're coming from. We'd be the Yuuei Beach." Sero adds.

Katsuki blinks. This sounded right up his alley in terms of the activity and competition. Of course he wants to pummel any low ranking surfer out of the water, but-

"What's the entry fee?" His bank account couldn't handle another divot. Just this past month alone, his AC has died twice and that pulled entirely too much money out of for his comfort. He has saved money, sure, but it's for emergencies, not being baked alive.

Ashido works at a retail store, not gaining that much more than him, along with Sero. Kirishima is currently at a surf shop, selling and making boards for probably less than it's worth. Kaminari's in and out of jobs practically every month, and while he says he had quit or it wasn't for him, the guy was only half telling the truth. Katsuki has to keep his friends in check because their dumbasses sometimes forget they're not made of money.

Kaminari flicks his nose with a thumb, "It's not too bad, considering it is doubling as a charity event." Katsuki huffs. So it was expensive.

"About 100 bucks each." Kirishima says, looking over at him with bright eyes; hopeful and eager to see his reaction. Because yeah, it was a decent price. Cheaper than he was expecting.

He furrows his brows and kicks the sand beneath him in thought. It was maybe too cheap. "That's how much is it for each of us individually to get in? I feel like there's supposed to be a twist. Are there equipment fees?"

Ashido laughs, "I was the same, but that's all we have to pay. It would be more if we didn't already own surfboards, and swim gear-"

Sero nods when Katsuki flicks his gaze to him. His own wetsuit accentuates his long arms and legs and thinly toned body. He was the skinniest of the group, but to Katsuki's surprise, that didn't stop him from being a crazy strong surfer. Sero continues, "Yeah. So what do you say? Wanna try it out?"

He_ did_. More so than he'd openly admit. Katsuki holds back his smile in order to keep composure; the last thing he wants is to jump into something stupid. He'll have to call work and schedule time off. He'll have to pack his clothes and his board and go on road trips with his friends and it was both exciting and nerve wracking.

Katsuki sighs, dropping an arm and raising the other to his temple, "If you guys make me regret this I'm shipping your asses to China."

Their eyes widen and simultaneously loud cheers erupt from their cries. Kirishima runs up and hugs him, wrapping his arms around his waist and lifting his feet off the sand. His cheeks burn from the action and from the full laughs vibrating through Kirishima's chest. If he could get him to laugh like this everyday he would.

"Hell yeah!" The red head drops Katsuki and fist bumps Kaminari who just got out of a group hug with the other two. All of them are buzzing and Katsuki can't help but let a smirk form upon his lips.

The sun is growing heavy on the horizon, which means they should probably hop in the water if they want any good waves. He reaches over and pulls his surfboard out of the sand.

"Let's go you losers." He barks, smirk never leaving his lips as he marches over to the water. Behind him Kaminari laughs. Foot steps quicken behind him with soft thuds.

"Last one there has to pay for dinner!" He cries, voice shifting into a shriek after sprinting past Katsuki and his grin widens with competition. The fuck does he think he is getting a head start?

Confused and disturbed glances behind them, the four boys push and shove awkwardly with their surfboards in hand to the water, making sure not to trip on one another. Sero lost.

The swells are more tame due to the tidal shift, keeping his distance from the break of waves, Katsuki's able to lay back on his board and let the water run past his outstretched arms and legs. Kirishima gets the same idea once they've drifted further out into the open water and Katsuki can see a small smile still resting on his face.

The others are catching waves up ahead, and from the sounds of it they were running off the high of excitement; Ashido squeals after, Sero he assumes, pulls a bottom turn.

"Thanks for agreeing, Katsuki." He hears Kirishima say. He hums in response, watching as the sky changes from hues of blue to pinks and oranges. He focuses on that rather than the man beside him, because he knows exactly what will happen if he does; his heart and mind will betray him, and he'll have to question whether or not going to the competition will be worth his numerous strokes. "How far do you think we'll get?" the redhead says again, the volume of his question softer, as if he were asking himself.

"We're going to fucking _dominate_ those amatures, Ei." Katsuki chuckles airily. If anyone is as good a surfer as him, it was that dork.

"Yeah, we are." and fuck, he has a weak heart because he tilts his head over to look at Kirishima. He's giving him the widest smile and Katsuki sucks in air. How can it be legal to smile that way? At him? It does too many things to his emotions that he doesn't allow. The swells beneath gradually lift them, and they fall down just as gently, as if the water itself were taking a deep breath.

A scream breaks his train of thought and he sits up to see where the noise came from. Ahead, Kaminair is popping his head out of the water with a lopsided grin.

"You i-idiot, you can't just do a flip off the board. You'll end up with face scars like Kiri!" Ashio attempts to yell, but it's interrupted by her fits of laughter. Sero's no better, clutching his stomach as he paddles out to the next wave off balance.

"Hey! I'll have you know my scars look cool! They're little lightning bolts!" Denki, ungracefully, crawls onto his surfboard during his remark. He lifts up a leg and points adamantly, showing off his well known box jelly scars.

"How about you guys stop bitching and surf." Katsuki calls. Kirishima laughs at that, and doesn't stop until the other three have swam up to swap positions. Kaminari looks at him pointedly.

"Let me see you do a flip off a board then, Bakumaster."

"Don't call me that," He starts, lowering his arms to push forward and catch the next swell, "the day one of us does a flip off a board, it'll be your shit eating grin that'll pay because I'll personally handle that myself."

"Honestly, Kami," Kirishima says behind him, he too, preparing his board, "how cool would that be? It's like parkour, but on water."

"Exactly!" his friends cackle, and Katsuki smirks to himself. They're all idiots.

"Wow, there are a lot more people here from our beach than I thought there'd be." Kirishima says beside him. The two of them are waiting for the rest of their group at the opening resort for the surf competition. It's been a month since they all consecutively decided to join, and throughout those weeks have been vigorously practicing the required techniques in order to pass the ranks. Standing there today is surreal to Katsuki; his heart beating a thousand miles a minute as the adrenaline of competition surges through his body. Before them, dozens of tents are littered across the sand advertising foods, surf leagues, selling wetsuits and swimsuits, anything that may grab money from eager buyers. In the middle of the mess is a small makeshift stage that holds a live band. Katsuki can hear their loud pop summer music from where he's standing and wonders how distracting it may be once he's out in the water. Sprawling in the crowds of surfers and pedestrians are news reporters catching scoops of information before the oncoming competition begins.

"More than last year." He says. It's the peak of the day, the early noon sun is hot and persistent on his skin. He disregarded his tank top hours ago because it rendered useless being soaked in his sweat. Beside him, Kirishima fairs no better, not even coming with a shirt and just in his red striped swim shorts. His hair is loose today, and Katsuki can't help but want to drag his fingers through it and out of his face.

While the two showed up early, all tents provided for competitors are slammed full, causing them to have to stand out in the bated sun. Their surfboards stand beside them, growing increasingly warm after each passing minute.

"I really thought they'd be here by now." Kirishima says anxiously. His body is stiff, and Katsuki gets the idea he's nervous for more reasons than one. Elbowing his arm, he speaks up over the blaring music and conversations.

"Relax, Ei, if they're late we'll just start without them." It's not much of a reassurance, but the redhead's already taking in a deep breath.

"Sorry we're late! Kaminari slept in and Sero forgot where his wetsuit was and I had to get gas-!" Ashido cries as her and the other two dorks run up to them.

"Really, Kami? You slept in?" Kirishima laughs, shaking his head. Katsuki fumes. The idiot had the audacity to sleep in and risk being late to their first opening competitions as well as stress out Kirishima more than he needed to.

"Don't fucking do it again, Pikachu." He barks.

There were 28 surfers entering the water today. Only 8 from Yuuei beach are going to able to advance in the official competitions. The news wasn't surprising to Katsuki. He spent the past couple of nights reading into the scoring and background of these kind of events. Their next match, only 4 from each beach will be able to advance. All they had to do was meet a certain amount of points during their surf. Pass the heats, move to the next round.

Ashido is first to head into the water out of their group. She's nervous and threatening to throw up but Kaminari shakes her shoulders and tells her that "you're going to wipe the smug look off of everyone's faces when they see you surf. Don't overthink it, you're practically a fish!" It musters a giggle out of her, and she hops up with determination.

"Yeah I am!" She grabs her surfboard, the bottom displaying various shades of pink along with tacky patterns only she would care to enjoy, and runs out to the water waving a thumbs up behind her.

Katsuki would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous. The past couple of surfers have been good. Their scores ranging from 15 to 17.2 points out of 20. Ashido is accompanied with three other surfers for their heat, and he hopes she catches some good waves in order to boost her general score. Her first wave is smaller than he would've hoped, but she's quick and able to pull in a few carves and cutbacks before doing a roundhouse cutback; her figure eight sharp and stunning. Watching, The allotted thirty minutes given goes by fast, and Katsuki sighs with relief when Ashido sprints out of the water with a solid 18.3.

"Did you see that?!" She squeals, ramming into their group dripping with ocean water. She ditches her surfboard to the sand before jumping into their open arms. Her cheeks are red from the sun and splays of water, and Katsuki finds he likes this new profound form of excitement. It makes his chest flutter with something unknown. She backs away, though her hand never leaves the small of Sero's back. "Don't say_ a word_, I don't want to jinx anything. I'm looking at you, Hanta."

He flushes at the accusation, "I'm not that bad."

"Sorry man, but you have the worst tendency of blurting what's on your mind." Kirishima says, rubbing the back of his nape modestly. They all nod in agreement and he flushed more.

"Okay then. I'll keep shut."

The speakers erupt across the beach announcing the next four names to enter the water. Kirishima and Kaminari are in the same heat this round, which leaves Katsuki to watch from the sand once again. He finds himself biting his nails unconsciously until Ashido slaps his hand with her own, a frown upon her lips.

"Don't ruin your nails, I don't want to paint a ravaged canvas." she whines, and he huffs, but eventually caves in and drops his hand. Her gaze softens and she elbows his bicep. He flicks his gaze down irritably. "They're going to be okay. Kaminari is full of surprises, and you _know_ Kirishima," she emphasizes the last bit, "he's amazing. You're stressing over nothing."

"I'm not stressing." Katsuki grumbles. But she was right, he didn't necessarily have anything to worry about; the two were amazing surfers. He'll ignore the knowing look Ashido held in her gaze when talking about Kirishima just then because that's for another time. Ahead, he can spot the mop of red hair contrast with the blues and whites as the figure positions himself for a larger wave swell. Luckily, Kirishima held a top priority and once he claims a wave the other surfers will have to venture off to other ones.

"That's a good wave, Kiri should be able to pull some of his trickier stunts on it." Sero quips, crossing his arms over his chest. Katsuki nods, eyes never wavering from in front of him. The redhead is standing in no seconds after giving himself a boost forward with a thrust of his arms. The water curves, and eventually a beautiful wave begins to crash upon the water just for him. Immediately, Kirishima is wasting no time and pulling his first trick: Nosesirfing. Holding his stance at the tip of his board, he surfs along the crest of the wave for a couple seconds, gaining him a substantial amount of initial points. He slides down the water swiftly and carves, reverses and performs a 360; water splashing around his figure. Ashido cheers beside Katsuki and he smirks, because it was performed fairly perfectly. The wave is coming to a close, and Kirishima lowers his speed to Tube Ride inside the arch of water. It takes skill, not being an intermedial trick, and Katsuki holds his breath waiting to see the splash of red along the water emerge out into the open. After a few seconds, to his and the two dorks beside him's excitement, Kirishima is able to perform the stunt and glides out past the crashing water, smiling widely. His first wave gives him a 9.8 out of 10 on the scoring board. If he does that again, Katsuki's sure he'll pass and move onto the next rounds.

The other surfers in the heat take their turns catching their points, Kaminari scoring an 8.2 on his first wave and the other two strangers score relatively lower. Their time on the water is winding down, and as Kirishima finishes is second wave with yet another Tube Ride, followed hastily with an Aerial, his points reveal him with a victorious 10 accumulating his complete and final 18.2. His fists are in the air, expression bright as he splashes the water exasperatingly.

"Yes! Way to go Kirshima!" Katsuki can hear Denki shout across the water as he begins his own second wave. Even on his own turn, the blonde finds time to support his friend. He turns his gaze back to Kirishima and smirks when he emerges out of the water, still wearing his widening smile.

Ashido runs forward and hugs him, causing them to wobble from the lack of balance. Thankfully, she lets go just in time for Kirishima to compose himself. His cheeks and body are flush from the adrenaline, and he rubs the back of his nape.

"Thanks! But we gotta watch Kami! He's on now!" He calls, turning around to watch their friend finish his heat with a 17.9. Not too long after, the electric blonde is running up and joining them in a group hug.

"You guys were fucking amazing." Katuski chuckles, clapping his hands together with Kirishima's after they've divided. His face is warm from the sun, from the heat, from the surge of excitement and from the soft, damp hands holding his own tightly. Kirishima's smile hasn't wavered since he's left the water, and Katsuki wonders if his cheeks are sore.

"Thanks man!" he laughs, and from the looks of it, the redhead's still running off of his incitement.

"I think they just called Sero's name." Kaminari says to the side, and they turn their gaze to the large screen towards the center of the beach that holds the scorings and names of surf heats. Sure enough, Hanta Sero appears in bold letters across the screen.

He gives them a thumbs up as he walks off holding his surfboard by his side. Katsuki knows from watching him practice that he's been working on the Superman since his longer body physique allows him to maneuver the trick easier, but will he attempt it today and risk losing points? It requires a relatively larger waves to guide the speed and height up and off of the crest. To his surprise, Sero doesn't end up performing the trick, instead focusing on more longboard derived skills that place him with a score of 17.6.

That leaves him to enter the water. His name isn't on the screen yet, but he can feel the sizzling beneath his skin in anticipation. The next heat will begin soon, and the chance his name will show up etched itself into his gut in the form of hunger. Hunger to win, hunger to go out there and compete, hunger to excel above the rest.

"Your name was just called for the next heat, Bakugou." Ashido says and he smirks wickedly. _Finally_.

"Oh no, he's got that creepy look on his face when he gets over competitive. He's gone from Bakubro to Bakuscary." Kaminari steps behind his board to shield himself as Katsuki grabs his own firmly. Reassuring chants echo behind him as he surges forward.

The water is warm when he initially steps in; he paddles further out into the ocean and it shifts cooler to the touch. His ears twitch with the realization that the music from the beach isn't as deafening from where he sits. He can hear his thoughts more clearly, which normally fairs well but he spots Kirishima back at their spot on be beach jumping, pumping his fists into the air out to him, and his chest flutters. He was too enthusiastic sometimes.

The waves today are good. Better for the completion but even better for him in executing more high level skills. A particular swell catches his eye and he's immediately taking action, dipping his arms in the water to push himself out to snatch the break. As the form manifests, he Carves and glides up, clutching the surfboard with one as he leans back and does a Alley-Oop. He lands with a slap, and his legs buzz from the impact. Any noise he heard earlier is gone. Mind blank, his breathing is shallow and he hyper focuses on his next trick, doing a Cutback then Snapping against the current. He only has a couple of seconds before the wave dies out, so he bites his lip and thinks _screw it_; there's an opportunity and he isn't going to miss his chance. Engulfed under a bridge of water, he Tube Rides before dashing out and Kickflipping his board. His chest heaves as he exhales sharply, riding out the remaining push of wave. It happened all too quickly and he doesn't spare a glance at the scoreboard to see what his first wave gave him. He knows it was a higher number.

The second wave, to his luck, is just as powerful. Katsuki spares no time performing the same tricks, give or take a few and his mind is still in a haze once he steps onto the hot sand.

The wind is knocked out of his lungs, his board flying forward and he plummets back down into the sand with a loud thud. He groans as his chest is squeezed unbelievably tight, and his hands urgently grasp onto warm skin. Opening his eyes, his face heats immensely as he stares up into Kirishima's. His breathing is rugged, unlike Katsuki's being held in his chest, and he's smiling down at him. Bold at first, but it fades into one more fond. Eyes never leave one another's until it's cut short, as fast as it came, with three bodies throwing themselves atop of theirs and Katsuki groans once again.

"_Jesus-_ the _fuck-_ I can't breathe you assholes! G-get _off-_" He wheezes, retracting his arms and planting them over Kirishima's bare chest in an attempt to lift everyone. It fails and he's left buried under 300 pounds with burning cheeks.

"We did it you guys! We're going into the next rounds!" Ashido squeals into his ear and he pauses. They made it.

He gapes, "Holy fuck."

"You topped with a solid 19 points, Bakubro!" Kaminari laughs, making an effort to detach himself from the pile. Ashido slides out beneath him. "We're going to Shigaraki Beach!"

Sero extends a hand to help Kirishima off his feet, who then looks back down to a stunned Katsuki laying in the sand. He opens and closes his mouth, failing to conjure any words because holy _fuck_ they're all advancing to the next set of rounds-

He takes Kirishima's hand and smirks, turning to face his fervent friends. The sun is still hot beating down on his skin, on the sand beneath his toes, on the hand intertwining into his own, on the smiles and crinked noses displaying between them. But it didn't matter.

They made it.


End file.
